TANZANIA - SAFARI 2021

September 28, 2021

We were up for our last breakfast at Bristol Cottages, and eager for the next part of this adventure. I had a sad moment when Jeff declared that my S’Well coffee thermos was a hopeless loss. I’d had hot tea in it during the summit night, I drank part of it and sealed it up while we were above 19,000 ft. What I really loved about this over all of my many travel coffee mugs, was the leakproof seal. Well, when I sealed it at that elevation, it made quite a vacuum, and we couldn’t get the top off now that we were at about 3000 ft. We tried hot water, then cold, but it was hopeless. We eventually turned the top, but the insides remained faithfully sealed. It had a good life and served me well over years of travel.

After breakfast, Freddy stopped by to pick up the bags for storage, and we left Gary trying to get his COVID results and hoping to get his flight changed to leave today. Not only was it sad leaving Gary behind, we were picked up in two Embark Safari vehicles, so we had to split into two groups – it all felt very odd after so much togetherness.

Jeff, George and I went into the first vehicle with Blassy, and the others went with Charles. After the organization of the Kili portion of this trip, we all felt a little uncertain and adrift now. To further confuse us, we were headed to Arusha to meet a representative named Nathan – not sure what his function was to be.

We passed another police checkpoint and asked Blassy about that - he said it is a balance between safety / law enforcement and the police “enhancing their lives,” aka corruption.

I had thought the airport we flew into (Kilimanjaro) was close to Arusha, but it turns out it was just halfway there, and Arusha was a much bigger city, about two hours from Moshi. We pulled into a fancy hotel Arusha, and Blassy told us to go in and meet Nathan. Hmmm. We went in, and found a coffee shop in the lobby, so we headed there first, and eventually Nathan came along. On the way back from the restroom, Dan caused quite a stir as several hotel employees thought he was Mr Bean and insisted on photo-ops with him. It was quite funny – I hadn’t noticed a resemblance myself, but it turns out he can do some of the Mr Bean expressions that do make it more of a likeness.

We sat on the patio with Nathan and he handed us a printed itinerary for the Serengeti portion of our safari. The meeting was a little odd, with him making comments about the safari such as “don’t have expectations, but have expectations,” and other bizarre things like that. Blassy and Charles will be with us these two days, and then they’ll deliver us to the airport in Manyara for our flight to the Serengeti. Nathan also made arrangements for us to get a PCR COVID test that morning for $100 each. George had also brought the Abbott Binax Now test kits, but we were mostly unsure as to if that would qualify to get us out of Tanzania and back into the US, so all of us but George opted for the test. We weren’t sure what kind of cut Nathan was going to get with that $600!

Back in the safari vehicles, we decided to have lunch as we had about another two hours to travel to get to Tarangire National Park. We drove through the sprawling outskirts of Arusha and saw some pretty ramshackle housing, and lots of people moving about. My favorite was seeing the school kids – dressed in their pristine outfits, always happy to wave and shout “hello” to the passing safari vehicles and the white-faced tourists.

We loved having Blassy as a driver and guide. He was a non-stop fountain of information, and George kept peppering him with questions about sites that we were seeing and Tanzanian culture. We passed a UN Tribunal Court building. George asked Blassy about that and he said they’re wrapping up genocide trials for Rwanda (1994) and Uganda (1980s), will convert to an African court soon. He also talked about the history of Tanzania politics and the changes he’s seen in his lifetime. Previous President made things more tribal; country is beginning to feel more divisive. Current woman president is from Zanzibar, putting more Muslims in the cabinet.

After a while, we were out in the country and into the Maasai land. Blassy explained that the Maasai have overgrazed their land, and that was quite evident. However, we’d still see the men (and boys) in the traditional dress driving herds of cattle and goats – looking for grass, I guess. Blassy told us they’re no longer the nomadic tribe that they once were, and many of the men have taken to cities to find work. The women and young men stay back in the manyatta – a circle of huts, with a fence made of sticks to keep the livestock from predators at night. Traditionally, they didn’t raise chickens or eat eggs, but he said many now do, and about 50% of the children go to school now.

Shortly before 2PM, we arrived at Tarangire National Park. Our Embark guide described this park like this: “Situated within Tanzania’s spectacular Manyara Region, is an awe-inspiring national park comprising of granite ridges, river valleys, mixed vegetative landscapes, and free-roaming wildlife. During the annual dry season, the Tarangire River is a magnet for thirsty wildlife. Large herds of elephants and migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland gather and not surprisingly the predators follow. With lion being among the most commonly spotted animal, it is a rare day that a visitor does not spot this majestic animal prowling or grazing. Tarangire is also the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as oryx and gerenuk are seen regularly. This expansive area is also known for its spectacular baobab trees, its breathtaking views of the Masaai Steppe and the wondrous mountains to the south.”

Along the road to the park entrance, there were a few “lodges” and “camps” that looked a little on the creepy side to me. Made me nervous about tonight’s accommodations. I’d seen the Treetops resort online, but we all know how that has turned out for me before! We entered the park, and stopped at the gate. Charles and Blassy paid our entrance fees and ate their lunches. We all went outside for a photo-op and toilet break. It was very hot out in the sun, much hotter than we’d experienced yet in Tanzania. George and I were going to walk over to a lookout tower, when we were called to come back to the vehicles. I was delighted to see that the tops had been popped up and we were ready to “safari!” It was exhilarating to be standing up in the vehicle as we cruised through the gate into the park.

I thought we were really going to have to scout for the animals, but as soon as we were through the gate, there were giraffes, wildebeests, and zebras. It was crazy. We kept exclaiming “we’re in Africa,” and George was saying “this doesn’t suck.”

I’d really hoped we’d see elephants, especially baby elephants, and ten minutes into the park, we did. It was unbelievable. The other vehicle was a head of us, and it was bizarre to not all be together, but we viewed each other like other animals on display!

For over two hours, we drove the roads of the park, and again we were thrilled to have Blassy as our guide. He knew a lot about the park and the animals, and had a keen eye for spotting lions sleeping under a tree. Besides the wildlife, we were struck by the beauty of the land with its umbrella like acacia trees (perfectly groomed by giraffe) and the otherworldly baobab trees.

We left the park and had a thirty-minute drive to the Elewana Tarangire Treetops resort. The land was a wildlife area bordering Tarangire National Park, and was mostly remote, although we did see some Maasai men with herds of cattle. Blassy tried to convince us that the Maasai and the lions have “an agreement” and respect that goes back generations and prevents the lions from attacking the people or their livestock.

George convinced Blassy to pull over and let us get out to take a photo near a huge baobab – I was freaked out, and even more so when Blassy pointed out a porcupine hole at the base of the tree and Jeff found a 6” porcupine quill (the sort of things you see African tribal people stick through their face in National Geographic photos).

We got to the Treehouse resort shortly before sunset. We were greeted by an assortment of staff, Maasai warriors, and a white guy named Riaan. I was impressed with their sanitation as they had us hand wash, they sprayed down our luggage, gave us moist towels, and a welcome drink made out of baobab fruit. The main lodge was open air, and build around a huge baobab tree. Riaan offered us something from the bar (yes, beer please) and we sat around as he told us about the resort. We were overlooking the resort swimming pool, and beyond that, an animal watering hole. Even before I saw our room, I realized we’d landed in a place beyond my wildest dreams, and life was good.

The Tarangire Treetops had an adventurous and exotic feel, but still luxurious. I immediately made up my mind that no matter what was on the agenda for tomorrow, I was having some down time at that pool.

What I couldn’t see at the time were our suites: each an elevated platform built around a baobab tree with a private balcony, spaced far enough apart for privacy. As it was getting dark, we were each escorted to our individual treehouses, and instructed to call for an escort when we were ready to return to the main lodge for dinner. Same thing in the morning – no unescorted walking during darkness – a good rule in the bush!!

The suites were are lavishly furnished with a blend of natural materials and contemporary Africana décor. The windows were screens, with canvas covers to be zipped over them at night (but we kept ours open). It was funny as the sound of zippers was so pervasive on our hike, and now we were right back to zippers!

We got settled and were escorted back to the lodge for our 7pm dinner, with a special Maasai demonstration – beautiful chants, and jumping, which is what they’re known for! The dinner was fabulous. After such an exciting day, we were all ready for bed just after dinner however. And we have an early start tomorrow for our walking safari!

SAFARI: September 29, 2021

We were up early for a quick cup of coffee and out to the Land Rovers, where Stan, the resort guide was going to lead us on an early morning walking safari. While it seemed odd to be climbing in the resort vehicles, Stan explained that the resort is on a wooded hill which limits the visibility of the animals, so we were going to drive down to the dry river bed and the flat grasslands and begin our hike there.

I was comforted by the fact that Stan had a rifle with him, and I still stuck to him like glue as it didn’t feel right to be out walking around these wild animals! Besides Stan, we had a Maasai guide, Saboro, and another driver in the other vehicle who’s name I didn’t capture – Stan was our leader.

We covered ourselves in DEET bug spray, and armed ourselves with fly swatters made from horse tails. Besides the dreaded Tsetse flies which are rare but potentially dangerous, the regular buzzing flies are really bad so the swatters were necessary, especially when close to animals! Before we came here my brain was flooded with all these potential parasitic infections that I’d learned about in my college Parasitology class, but hadn’t ever been exposed to before, such as malaria, dengue fever, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis and one of my favorites, onchocerciasis!

We learned that the purpose of a walking safari isn’t necessarily to get close to animals, its more to study their patterns … and Stan taught us a lot about print and turd identification, starting with fresh large male lion prints in the river bed.

We walked through the grass where a zebra herd was grazing. They were unsure about us, and I was surprised at how close we got. However, when they started running, they got a little confused about which way to go. It was really remarkable to be that close. I loved seeing how the foal stands next to the adult and almost blends in, and we also closely observed how two adults stand next to each other facing opposite directions, always on the lookout for predators. I was amazed in what I thought seemed to be cookie cutter patterns, but we learned that their stripe patterns are all unique, like a fingerprint. In walking through the herd, it was remarkable to hear the sounds they’d make: braying like a donkey, barking, and snorting or whuffing sounds.

Besides a lot of turds and zebra, we saw a few warthogs, and Jeff spied an elephant family headed towards us along a ridge. We walked in that direction and got about as close as I’d want to be – again, so majestic from the perspective of standing on the same ground!!

The morning heated up fast, and I was glad when we were done hiking and looped back towards the vehicles. George just couldn’t pass up the “spotter” seat on the front of the Land Rover, so he climbed up there. Lynn claimed the spot on the other vehicle. We took a different road back towards the lodge, seeing more wildlife along the way. Then Stan pulled over and asked George to come back inside, saying he couldn’t approach the lodge with a tourist outside the vehicle!

Back at the lodge, they fed us a spectacular breakfast, and we were entertained by zebras and water buck at the watering hole (there was a water buck up drinking out of the swimming pool as well)!

The plan for the day was to go back out to the National Park with our Embark guides and have a picnic at the lake. I was exhausted, and declined another outing. Jeff, Dan and Kent stayed back too. George, Lynn and Tam went out with Blassy – they had a great day with a wide variety of animals at the lake and a nice picnic … but they were gone from 11A until 6P and I’m so glad I didn’t go.

After breakfast, Jeff and I went back to our Treehouse. I posted some of my blog, read, and napped. I’d started rereading “The Brightest Sun,” by Adrienne Benson while we were on the climb. My book club had read it several years ago and I started thinking about it as soon as we landed in Tanzania. It’s a fictional novel about an American anthropologist that lives with the Maasai in Kenya, helping them with draught/grazing problems, and studying their culture in general. It was neat to reread it in this setting!

Jeff and I spent the afternoon at the pool, overlooking the watering hole – among the visitors were wildebeests, zebra (having a brawl in the water), and a visit from a lone warthog (who moved so much like Pumba from “The Lion King” that it made me laugh out loud). The wonderfully attentive staff, especially Nic, kept us plied with cool drinks and snacks. I never dreamt I’d be lounging around a pool at a luxury resort in Tanzania, but it was an unexpected, but much needed afternoon!!

Dan and Kent eventually came to hang around the pool, and Jeff went back to our treehouse. I had a beer and hung around awaiting our safarists, but eventually gave up. Twilight was just beginning, and I was alert and slightly terrified walking back to our treehouse alone! There was enough elephant poop here and there to know that one could have been encountered, but I made it there just fine!

We gathered for dinner at 7pm, this time on the pool deck, and the elephant that Nic promised would appear finally did, and shortly after that, a cheetah did too!!

Back into the lodge Land Rovers, we headed out on our first night safari. George, Jeff and I had Stan as our driver, and Saboro was strapped in the spotter’s seat, with a large handheld spot light. We got off to a slow start, just a few rabbits, but then we saw this amazing owl with pink eyelids (Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl). Just as Stan described, he followed us along for quite a while, using the spotlight to help see birds and rodents. He made several dives, but we didn’t see him get anything.

After that, we saw many herds of antelope. Stan could tell if they were a group of male juveniles, hanging out together, waiting their time when they could challenge the male that had a herd of female antelope. Down by the dry river bed where we’d seen the male lion print this morning was a herd of African buffalo, one with a huge wound in his side. Stan said they were the old guys, kicked out of the herd and just hanging out together for the rest of their days. To me, they looked quite fierce, and it seemed they were irritated by us. Stan said they were the most dangerous animal out here, and the most likely to injure park rangers! After that, I’d seen enough, and probably because of the wine I had at dinner, I was sleepy and dozed off a bit as we traversed the savannah looking for shinning eyes. Sometimes, in the distance, we could see our partner vehicle, and it didn’t feel right to not all be sharing this experience together.

We were back at the resort around 11pm, and escorted back to our individual treehouses. Originally, Nathan told us we’d need to leave by 8:30am tomorrow to get our COVID tests and make our 10am flight to the Serengeti. However, Blassy disagreed and said we needed to be on the road by 6am. I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy a leisurely coffee and breakfast at this spectacular lodge overlooking the watering hole. Instead, the staff said they’d pack us up a breakfast to go.

We got back to our room and finished packing, crawling into bed around midnight with a 5am wake up alarm set. I was laying next to Jeff, reading my book on my iPad, when I heard him yell and heard what sounded to me like hummingbird wings. He said “a bat just landed on my chest!” I dove all the way under the covers and started googling “what to do when a bat is in your room.” Of course, the answer was: GET IT OUT!

Jeff got up and radioed the front desk and they sent a security guard with a flash light. With the roof of the structure and the rustic construction, of course they didn’t see the bat. Instead, they said maybe it left. Hmmm. What was going to be a short night, turned into an even more sleepless night as I tried to bury my head under the extra pillows and covers, but imagined a bat hovering all night long. Thank God, we’ve both had the rabies vaccine and Jeff didn’t think he got bit, he thinks he and the bat just scared each other!

September 30, 2021 Transfer to the Serengeti

We were up at 5am, with no further bat incidents. I made coffee in the French press, and there were some yummy shortbread cookies to help wash down our vitamins.

We finished our packing and decided we could haul our bags ourselves. It was still dark, but our walkie-talkie was dead so we decided to venture out on our own. My headlamp caught two huge eyes looking at us from a tree, and of course I thought “bat” again, but it climbed down from the tree and we saw it was a “bushbaby,” an adorable kind of monkey/squirrel with huge eyes.

We handed out tips, and said goodbye to Riaan and the staff – we collectively agreed that our next “camp” would be hard-pressed to surpass our experience here. Besides it being comfortable and luxurious, the service was over the top. Not sure if it was Riaan’s Ritz Carlton experience coming through, but whatever it was – the staff were there for our every need, without being intrusive.

We departed at 6am as scheduled. Blassy seemed stressed, and drove fast and erratically over the bumpy roads. I’m not one to suffer from motion sickness, but by the time we hit the paved road (after about 45 minutes), I wasn’t feeling well. Probably didn’t help to primarily have only coffee in my stomach!

As we got closer to the highway, we drove through an area with many Maasai manyata’s. The little kids were dressed sharply and headed towards school, and the young men were taking the herds out for grazing. As we got onto the paved road, we saw even more kids out walking to school!

We drove through the village of Manyara and it was bustling with morning activity. From there we drove to Karatu, where we were scheduled to go to the hospital for our COVID tests. The lab opened at 8:30am, and we arrived just before. It felt great to get out of the Land Rover and stretch a bit. We were confused and uncertain about the test procedure, but Charles had done this before and helped with the navigation. George and Blassy went looking for a pharmacy as George still had cold/sinus symptoms. They found one attached to the hospital, but at first, they said they wouldn’t sell to him without a physician consultation. Blassy intervened, and they ended up selling something to Blassy – but not the good stuff (like what you could buy in Mexico for example)!

The rest of us got our nasal cavities swabbed, and reassurances that the results would appear in our e-mail. Hakuna Matata.

We had to back track to return to the Manyara Airport, and arrived there about 9:15am for a 10ish flight to the Northern Serengeti.

There was sort of a security screening procedure there – our bags went through an X-ray machine, but they didn’t seem to care about liquid in our water bottles or even look at our passports!

In the lobby, there was a coffee shop, but I still wasn’t feeling all that great so I skipped it. Dan was interacting with what seemed like the main attendant, and all of a sudden, he was posing for Mr Bean photo ops again. Not only that, the guy posted it to social media, and other airport workers came by for a photo, too. The guy working the coffee counter came out to talk with us, and he was delighted we’d climbed Kilimanjaro, as he was a former mountain guide. That led to us all singing a few rounds of “Jambo, Jambo Bwana …” with other airport workers joining in. There was a TV on with “dancing” on the screen. Tam made a comment that if it was different music, we could practice our West Coast Swing steps (what we’re working on in our dance class these days). Dan played some music on his phone and Dan & Tam and Jeff & I danced a bit. During this time, a different plane came and went and we were vaguely aware of others passing through the airport, but for the most part, we’d commandeered that space.

Even though I’m not a big fan of dirt runways and small planes in Third World countries, flying sure beats the all-day drive that it would take to get to the Northern Serengeti, which our Embark guide described this way: “Located between the Central Serengeti and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve to the north, the Northern Serengeti is a remote African wildlife wonderland. The vast, rolling savannah of the Northern Serengeti, is known as the hub of the great migration. The landscape is characterized by vast stretches of savannah interspersed with acacia trees and riverine woodlands. Wildlife can be seen along the banks of the Mara River and visitors can view the annual spectacle of the half a million migrating wildebeest. Commonly spotted wildlife include: a multitude of plains game such as buffalo, zebra, gazelles, impala, giraffe as well as lion and leopard.”

The plane came and we climbed on board. Other than the narrow aisle, it was fairly comfortable. We took off and I had a little nap. When I awoke, I looked down and was surprised to see so much green. I was further surprised to see we were coming in for a landing and there was no fence around the airport and an Ostrich standing under a tree next to the runway! It turned out that wasn’t our stop. A couple got off there, and we took off again.

Serengeti is from a Maasai word that means endless. As we approached from the air, I was surprised by how many trees there were; I’d expected it to be more desolate. After about 30 minutes, we landed at Lamai Airstrip, which was our stop. There we were greeted by two men and two vehicles, and we were delighted to find all 7 of us could fit into the Land Cruiser, which had been converted into a tiered safari vehicle. We all climbed into Filbert’s vehicle, and he became our guide for the next three days. Our bags went into the other vehicle, and I never learned that driver’s name.

We were given the option to go right into the safari, or go to the lodge (for lunch) and safari later. We still had our box lunches, so we passed those out and started eating – however, we opted to go get settled in the lodge before safari.

We’d no longer left the airstrip and we started seeing animals! A family of giraffes that we were able to drive quite close to, herds of zebra and wildebeest and a large family of baboons. We’d drive a couple hundred feet and there would be another amazing scene. George kept turning around saying “we’re just on the road to the airport!” We could only imagine what we’d see when we got to the official safari!!

Because of the stops, it took us about an hour to get to our destination: Sanctuary Kichakani Serengeti Camp. This is the description from our brochure: “The camp is intimate, with just ten luxury safari tents, all with wooden decks, en-suite bathrooms and indoor bucket showers. The tents are elegantly furnished with portable cabinets and desks and feature electric outlets and a hairdryer. The common area is made up of a central canopied area where the main tent flows into lounges, a dining wing, and a bar, all with sides that can be opened to reveal panoramic views of the beautiful surroundings. Meals are prepared by the camp chef and consist of international flavors and traditional dishes.”

This felt like a safari – like right out of “Out of Africa!” We were offered a cool drink, and sat in the common area while we were welcomed and briefed about the camp. I was anxious to get to our tent and take a nap! They told us to get settled and come back for lunch, but I got settled and took a long nap instead of lunch! It was hot in the tent, but we stripped down and turned on the fan and had a great nap.

By 3:30pm, we were gathered again and ready to Safari. We headed out on the road, drove along a river and found a small group of elephants. Filbert parked where we could watch an elephant strip a small tree right in front of us. It didn’t look like a nutritional meal, and it looked like it’ll kill the tree, but it was fascinating to see.

From there, we drove through a wooded area, seeing lots of zebra and giraffe. We approached a large tree and baboons just started streaming out of it like it was a fire drill. At least 30 left the tree while we all sat there stunned. No one recorded it, as I guess I didn’t believe the exodus would go on as long as it did! But it was hysterical!

We continued the drive and reach a large open area. We crossed that, and went in search of lions. We drove along a wooded area, where Filbert said they’d be likely to be, but we didn’t see any.

Someone in the vehicle requested to “pick a flower,” which is the way we were taught to announce we were headed off to pee during our Kilimanjaro trek. Filbert said no getting out here, and drove us back to the middle of the open area.

We drove a bit further and Filbert spotted a pair of male cheetahs lounging under a tree. He said they’d just eaten a huge meal – their bellies were distended, and they’d only walk about 20 steps and collapse. We followed them for about 30 minutes – it was unbelievable. They didn’t seem to care a bit about us. They walked to a tree and marked it, then they continued to walk and flop across the savannah.

Filbert heard on the radio that there was a pair of lionesses with cubs nearby, so we left the cheetahs and headed over there. Like the cheetahs, the lions didn’t seem to care a bit about us. There were 4 cubs and they were so adorable to watch. They’d wrestle with each other and attack the mom’s tail. One seemed to be more adventurous and wandered off, which didn’t seem to bother either mom – eventually he came back.

We watched them until dusk set in. We’d lost track of how far we were from camp, and Filbert took off heading overland. We crossed some deep ruts, and also crossed a few massive lines of thousands of wildebeests headed somewhere. I thought it’d be easy picking when the nearby lions need to eat!

Back to camp just as it was getting dark. In this camp, like the Treetops, they ask you get an escort when its dark, even though its not far to the tents. They don’t have a walkie-talkie system, they said just stand on the porch and wave the flashlight and they’ll come and get us!

Our table was set up for dinner outside. We had wine, bread, soup, and then the chef brought out trays of little pots of different things and served us individually. It was a lot of food, and all of it wonderful. Over dinner, George said he’d been thinking about the scene at the airport today. He said he’s travelled the world, but can’t recall a more bizarre spectacle: Mr Bean impersonation, dancing, the guy from the coffee counter coming out to sing with us … it was quite unusual!

After dinner, Jeff, George and I went into the main tent for a night cap. We had a great visit with couple from Arizona - Linda and Art. They’re on a 6-week trip, Cairo, several countries in Africa. They wanted to hear all about Kilimanjaro, and we think we’ve talked them into it!

Back to the tent – the temperature dropped for the night and it’ll be great sleeping!

October 1, 2021 Northern Serengeti

What an epic day. Coffee was delivered to our room. We enjoyed the sunrise and breakfast with much more food than we could eat, then we loaded up into the safari vehicle for the day.

We left camp heading in the same direction as where we’d seen the lions yesterday. Along the way, we saw multiple wildebeest carcasses – fresh kill from last night, but not much left of the bones – spine, ribs and head. We saw several different kinds of vultures / storks fighting over what was left. We also saw a few hyenas, but they were skittish and would run off when we approached. The vultures would hop away, but when we sat still, they’d come back. I was watching through the binoculars and saw a little too much detail with a vulture picking out the brains through the eye socket – nearly lost my breakfast! We’re definitely seeing the “Circle of Life” in action here. The animals and birds all need one another to survive, and not much is wasted. What is amazing when you think of it is the relatively few numbers of skulls and bones that are left laying on the savannah – they’re almost all “recycled” so to speak.

We moved on and found a few lionesses under a tree, and watched them until the got up and walked off to a clump of trees.

One of the attractions of the Serengeti is the ability to see the migration of animals. They’re on a continuous loop, but travelling generally north to south right now. Filbert explained the circuit to us, they follow the rains as they need water, but they’re pretty much in specific places at specific times of year, and have been in that pattern forever. Its amazing that man hasn’t messed that up!

There are an estimated 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra’s, which is why they call this the “Great Migration,” and we’re told the phenomenon is considered one of the “Seven Wonders of the Natural World,” but I’m not going to get started on the Seven Wonders thread again …

What’s cool, is in two weeks, our camp will be packed up and set up in the Southern Serengeti until next May, when it’ll migrate back north with the herds.

When we’d arrived at the camp yesterday, a safari vehicle had just returned and a woman was raving about having just seen “the crossing.” I wasn’t completely sure what that meant at the time, but now we were traveling back across the savannah to the Mara River to try to see “the crossing” for ourselves.

We’d seen huge herds of wildebeests for 4 days now, and I thought what we were seeing was the Great Migration! It was, but the challenge for the migrators comes in crossing the rivers filled with giant, hungry Nile crocodiles!

Filbert said there are 11 great spots for viewing the crossing (numbered 0 through 10), and he’s had good luck at “zero” so we went there. We could see thousands of wildebeests along the opposite bank. They seemed quite restless, and on occasion one would seem like it was going to jump down and get this crossing started, but they he’d back track.

Zebras and wildebeest have a symbiotic relationship - the two species travel together not because they're necessarily best mates, but because each has a set of adaptations that perfectly complement those of the other. Wildebeest can hear and smell really well, and zebra can see really well. Also, wildebeest graze predominantly on short grass, their mouths shaped to allow them to grip the juicy shoots. Zebra, on the other hand, have long front teeth designed to shear long grass. In this way, zebra act as lawnmowers preparing the ground for the wildebeest, and the two are never in competition for food.

The wildebeest also travel alongside zebra to make the most of the latter species' superior intelligence. Zebra, it seems, have better memories and can recall last year's migration routes, remembering hazardous places and areas of safety in equal detail. This is especially useful when the herds have to cross the rivers. Whereas wildebeest jump blindly and hope for the best, the zebra is better at detecting crocodiles and therefore evading predation.

While there were a few zebras across the river, there seemed to be more on our side, and they were more agitated and vocal than what we’d previously seen. It wasn’t clear if they were shouting encouragement or warnings to those on the opposite shore!

We had a two hour wait for the crossing. We went back away from the river where it was relatively safe to get out of the vehicle for “flower picking” breaks. Then we drove along the bank to probably check out another viewing spot, and while there were wildebeests there, it didn’t seem like as many as at the “zero” spot so we went back there. It was a beautiful morning and the flies weren’t too bad, some people napped, and I read my book on my phone. Tam lamented that we should have grabbed the cheese tray from breakfast, as most of us had decided to have a cold beer while we were waiting and the cheese and crackers would have been perfect!

All of a sudden, Filbert detected movement and we raced to the river bank, spilling a little beer on the way. The leading wildebeest were just reaching our side as we got there – it was spectacular. They were groaning and bellowing – I figured they were probably trying to assess who had made it over safely. It didn’t take long for the crocodiles to appear. They floated downstream, just biding their time. We saw some smaller wildebeests getting dragged by the current, and Lynn and I were cheering one on when it was nabbed by a croc. Sad to see, but circle of life.

I couldn’t believe how long the crossing went on. There seemed to be a constantly replenishing herd of wildebeest appearing on the opposite bank. Sometimes, there would be a lull, and then a brave one would jump in and it’d get started again. The other unbelievable thing was the number of safari vehicles that appeared out of nowhere, on both sides of the river. Previously, we’d only seen the other vehicle from our camp, and a vehicle from each of two different camps, but now there were more than 20!

The crossing drifted a bit downstream with the current, and Filbert moved our vehicle closer. It was really something to see the wildebeests emerge and regroup.

After it was done, we all sat in stunned silence for a bit, feeling the need to process that before we moved on. Eventually, we moved back up the river, heading for a picnic site and off to see the hippopotamuses.

We crossed the river over a low bridge. At first, I was focused on a heron, a stork and some vultures along the river bank, but then the smell of a dozen wildebeest carcasses hit me – they were washed up along the bridge, causing a terrible stink and lots of flies. On the other side, there was a picnic area with flush toilets and a government air strip. Filbert set our lunch up, a nice spread of salads, a bottle of chilled white wine, and French press coffee. A plane approached just as we were finishing lunch. There were wildebeests on the runway, and it took three approaches until it was cleared enough to land the plane.

After lunch, we headed further up the river to a spot where Filbert expected there would be Hippopotamuses. The drive there was challenging through some mud and water. Once, he even needed to get out of the Land Cruiser and lock the wheel hubs to use the 4WD. We got to the spot on the river and there were about 20 Hippos, mostly submerged, as well as at least three crocodiles. We watched them for about 30 minutes. They’d stay mainly underwater, with mostly their nostrils or ears showing. Occasionally, one would pop its head up with a big yawn, and one would rise out of the water to show us how massive they really were.

George really wanted to see a Rhinos, but Filbert said they’re extremely rare, probably only 20 in the park. Someone had told George that the Rhinos are all radio tagged, and it’s possible to bribe the rangers and learn where they are. Filbert’s reaction to that was interesting – he gave George a lecture that safari is meant to be a “chance” encounter. That wasn’t exactly true however, as we’d been the recipients of him receiving tips over the radio (the lions with the cubs yesterday for example) and he’d also radioed his buddies about things that we’d found (the cheetahs).

I have a good sense of direction, but we headed overland in a direction we hadn’t yet travelled, and I gave up trying to figure out where we were (and which way camp was).

We followed a small stream that seemed to have a lot of activity – elephants, lions, zebra and the ever-present wildebeest. Filbert spotted a male lion in a “sausage tree,” and it was fun to watch him for a bit. He stood and repositioned himself a few times, and seemed to struggle when he decided it was time to get down – not as agile as the leopard we’d see later today.

We drove a bit further and then we were out into the open savannah. Filbert said we were on the road that is the border between Tanzania and Kenya. We decided that was a great time for an out of the vehicle break – time to pick a flower and take photos of us in Kenya.

Filbert said we were an hour from the camp at that point, so we opted for heading back. I probably dozed a bit, and I already had learned that there is no such thing as going directly back when you’re on safari.

Eventually, things started looking familiar again. We saw herds of elephants, and recognized the “monkey tree.”

Filbert had heard on the radio that there was a leopard in the tree by the bridge so we headed there. Another vehicle was parked there when we arrived, but our arrival spooked the leopard and he left the tree and disappeared into the brush as we were pulling up. He had a freshly killed small wildebeest (still oozing blood) balanced in the crook of a tree. Disgusting, but cool to see just the same.

We were out for nearly 10 hours, and while there was some down time, I was amazed at my patience and how much I enjoyed the waiting, the anticipation of what we might see, and then just the majesty of watching the animals when we’d find them.

We arrived back at the camp in time for showers before dinner, and there were rain clouds in the sky so they set up the dinner tables inside tonight.

Our tent was as comfortable as our treehouse had been – I loved the peace of mind of sleeping inside the mosquito netting. Since it’s a mobile camp, they’re run on generators, and power didn’t seem to be an issue. We didn’t have reliable Wi-Fi, but it seemed wrong to be plugged in anyway. The interesting part was the “bucket showers.” When we wanted to shower, we had to coordinate with John, our tent attendant. I’m not sure where he went to get the hot water, but he’d yell from behind the tent when your water was ready, and then you pulled a chain inside the little shower tent (a lot like our toilet tents on the hike), and you had a quick hot shower.

After we cleaned up, we headed out to the fire ring, where they brought us wine and snacks and we enjoyed the waning light, reflecting on a day that was out of this world! We had another wonderful dinner with more options than I could believe (would have loved to see the kitchen for our tent camp, it was somewhere out back).

October 2, 2021 Heading Home

We opted to start a little later this morning, and had coffee / hot chocolate delivered to our tent at 6am. I was already up and dressed, so I sat on our front deck and enjoyed seeing the morning come to life. The only sound I could hear was a morning dove similar to what we have at home. I watched the sun come up in the East, and thought about the hikers watching the sun come up on Kilimanjaro this morning.

I would have been willing to skip going out for safari today, knowing we’d already had such magnificent experiences, but I was glad that I did.

We gathered for breakfast, a melancholy group knowing it was our last morning on the Serengeti. We headed out on safari just after 7:30am. First stop, to check the spots where we saw lions yesterday. Like yesterday, there were many spots where the vultures and marabou storks were gathered around a kill from last night.

I was just looking at this little tan spot against a green bush, when Filbert turned toward it and said it was a large male lion! How majestic he was, except for the flies all over his face! We watch him for quite a while, then he got up and strolled away. He walked just around the back of our vehicle, closest to my seat. I held my breath, and I’m certain I was emitting a fear scent!!

Then we headed back toward the creek, hoping to catch a glimpse of the chetah in the tree from yesterday. He was there, and we approached quietly and he tolerated us for a bit. When another vehicle started approaching, he got up and slinked his way down the tree. George got a perfect shot of him locking eyes with us!

We were back at camp with plenty of time to shower, pack and relax before lunch. I lounged around the common area and dinning room, I can’t imagine that they’ll pack this all up into a few trucks and set it up again in the south in a few weeks.

We were still a bit stressed about not getting our COVID results via email as promised. George performed the Abbott Binax Now tests on us, so we had those results, but I wasn’t convinced they’d be acceptable (they would have been). Jeff contacted Nathan via WhatsApp, and he said “the results are done, have the camp print them out.” Hmmm – feels like we’re in a tent in the middle of the Serengeti, that hadn’t occurred to me. But I asked the manager, he took our passports and came back with printed results in 10 minutes – Hakuna Matata!

It was great to have George in the front of the vehicle with our guides. George is naturally curious and outgoing, so he asked all kinds of questions and we learned a lot about Tanzania and how people make a living through his questions. Filbert has a wife and two children, yet his work is here in the Serengeti, so he rarely sees them. Even the process of sending money home to them is complex – there is so much we take for granted.

It was a quick drive to airstrip, although we did stop to watch giraffes, and we had an injured small zebra limp across the road in front of us – it appeared to have gotten stuck in a fence or something and had a piece of wire around its hind legs. We drove to the ranger station and Filbert went in to report it to ranger.

Filbert checked online and our flight had been moved up about an hour (the only thing that happened early during our two weeks in Tanzania!). We still had some time so we drove along the river, over some rough terrain – didn’t see much and I was happy to just get to the airstrip to hang out and stop bumping around in the Land Cruiser!

There was no one else at the airstrip – an empty building and a toilet. The plane came – same type of plane with two pilots this time. One passenger was already aboard, and we made one stop at Singita, an exclusive Sasakwa Lodge with an airstrip, and another couple got on there. As we were coming into Singita, I was looking down at manyatta’s – they looked so beautiful from the air – circles of huts, rimmed with handcrafted fences. After we’d landed at Singita, we noticed baboons lining the dirt runway – yikes! As we were taxiing back out, they were crossing the runway in front of our plane!

We arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport around 4pm, with six hours to kill before our flight to Amsterdam. There was no hassle upon arrival, we walked from the plane to baggage claim, and outside to find Freddy with our extra luggage. Since George couldn’t fly out until Sunday, he had a hotel reservation nearby, so we hatched a plan to go there together, have dinner and convince the hotel shuttle to bring us back. We rearranged our luggage once more – bags to be checked, bags to carry on, and items to give to Freddy for donation. We’d hoped to be able to check our bags and travel lighter. We got through the COVID screen, and security screen (I had an aggressive pat down), only to learn that we couldn’t check in for 2 more hours. Back outside, Freddy called a taxi driver friend and we caravanned to George’s hotel, with all of our bags.

The hotel staff were very friendly, especially considering 6 of us weren’t staying there but we hoped their shuttle would bring us back to the airport in a few hours! Tips do wonders in Tanzania.

We had a nice final dinner, and it was great to be in a relaxing spot before beginning the long travel day we had ahead of us. Back to the airport, we got through security without issues, filled out some paperwork and saw a different part of the airport – shops and a restaurant, but we were good.

The flight to Amsterdam was pretty full. We left about 10pm, heading to Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), where we had a one-hour layover and more people got on (Jeff slept through that all). Easy flight to Amsterdam, arriving about 8am local time.

We cleared customs and said good bye to Tam & Dan and Lynn & Kent. We found our way to the KLM lounge, had a good breakfast, cleaned up in their restroom and brushed our teeth, then went to our gate for our flight to Minneapolis.

The flight to the states was only about half full, so we had the 4 middle Delta Comfort seats to stretch out. I laid across three seats and actually slept about 5 hours. We arrived in MSP just after 1pm. We headed to the Delta lounge, which was NOT relaxing with a bunch of drunks headed to Vegas in there watching football and just being loud in general. We ate some good food, then went out to walk and stretch our legs before a quick hop home to Madison.

We took Uber home, arriving abut 5:30pm. Great to be home!! Somehow, the trip home is always easier for me. Its more of a known entity, and as much as I love to travel, there is nothing like coming home to your own serene space.

It’ll take me awhile to process this trip – so many extraordinary experiences, enhanced by sharing it with such a great group of people.